Autostart TCI on launch¶

Configure AetherSDR to start the TCI WebSocket server automatically every time the application launches, so third-party software such as Log4OM or SunSDR tools connects without manual intervention.

Before you start¶

AetherSDR must be built with WebSocket support (HAVE_WEBSOCKETS). If the TCI tray button is absent, this build does not include TCI.
The radio must be connected before the TCI server can serve clients, though the autostart setting can be configured while disconnected.
Decide which port the server should use. The default is 50001. See Change the TCI port if you need a different port before enabling autostart.

Steps¶

Click Settings > Autostart TCI with AetherSDR.
Confirm the item is checked. AetherSDR will now start the TCI server on every subsequent launch.
To verify the setting took effect immediately, click the TCI tray button on the right sidebar to open the TCI Server applet. The server status should read :<port> (0 clients) rather than (stopped).

To disable autostart, click Settings > Autostart TCI with AetherSDR again to uncheck it.

What each control does¶

Control	Default	Valid range
`Settings > Autostart TCI with AetherSDR` (checkable menu item)	Off	On / Off
Port	`50001`	1024–65535
Enable (toggle button in TCI Server applet)	Off	On / Off
RX1–RX4 gain+meter	0.5	0.0–1.0
TX gain+meter	Drags set the TCI TX gain and emit tciTxGainChanged. Right-click opens TX overflow-mode picker (Clip / NaNGuard / Measure).	TciServer::setTxGain persists TciTxGain internally; UI mirrors the stored value. TCI TX audio is always allowed regardless of platform or hosted-DAX availability (evaluateDaxTxPolicy now unconditionally allows DaxTxRequestReason::TciTxAudio, v0.9.5.1, #2276). Right-click menu lets users choose how out-of-range (>1.0) samples from digital-mode clients are handled: Clip (saturating ±1.0, legacy default), NaNGuard (pass-through, only zero NaN/Inf), or Measure (true bypass with clip counting). Default is Clip so existing users see no behavior change (#3065).
TX overflow mode (right-click)	Clip	0 (Clip), 1 (NaNGuard), 2 (Measure)
RX/TX slice-assignment labels	— (em dash)	— or Slice letter
Server status indicator	(stopped)	`(stopped)`, `:<port> (N clients)`, `(port in use)`

Accessibility names for gain sliders¶

Each TCI gain slider now has an accessibility name to support screen readers and assistive technologies:

RX1–RX4 gain sliders: Named "TCI RX 1 gain" through "TCI RX 4 gain" respectively.
TX gain slider: Named "TCI TX gain".

These names are set automatically and require no user configuration.

RX/TX slice-assignment labels¶

The RX1–RX4 and TX status labels show which slice currently drives each channel. The slice letter is now rendered as rich text (HTML) so that styled slice identifiers from SliceLabel::richText display correctly. The labels update automatically when slice assignments change.

TX overflow mode¶

Right-click the TX gain meter/slider to open a context menu with three overflow handling modes:

Mode	Value	Description
Clip (saturating ±1.0)	0	Hard-clamp overshoots to ±1.0. Defensive default; introduces harmonics on overshoot but protects downstream int16 conversion.
NaN guard (zero NaN/Inf only)	1	Pass samples through bit-exact; only zero pathological NaN/Inf values. Preserves digital-mode tone fidelity; out-of-range floats reach the radio.
Measure only (true bypass)	2	Never mutate samples. Count overshoots for telemetry; the downstream int16 conversion still clamps in the radio-native DAX route.

The default is Clip so existing users see no behavior change (#3065). The setting is persisted in TciTxOverflowMode (0/½).

Tips¶

Enabling autostart also sets AutoStartTCI to True. Toggling Enable in the TCI Server applet writes the same key, so both controls stay in sync.
If the port is already in use at launch, the server will not start: the Enable toggle snaps back to off and the status shows (port in use). Change the port and restart AetherSDR, or clear the conflicting process.
Out-of-range port values snap back to 50001 automatically.

Troubleshooting¶

Settings > Autostart TCI with AetherSDR is absent from the menu — This build of AetherSDR does not include WebSocket support. TCI is unavailable.
Server status shows (port in use) after launch — Another process is already bound to the configured port. Change the port in the TCI Server applet's Port field, save, and restart AetherSDR. See Change the TCI port.
Status stays (stopped) despite autostart being enabled — The radio is not yet connected. The TCI server requires a radio connection. Connect to the radio; the server will start once the connection is established.
Slice labels appear as raw HTML — This indicates an older build without the rich-text fix. Update to v26.5.2.1 or later to ensure HTML-rendered slice letters display correctly (#2606).
Server status text appears in the wrong color — This indicates a theme compatibility issue. Update to v26.6.1 or later for proper theme support (#3065). The server status label now uses the theme color color.background.3 instead of a hardcoded color.